About the border opening (From AFP):

The crossing will be open to citizens of countries in the ex-Soviet grouping the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as long as they don't require visas for either Russia or Georgia. Georgian and Russian citizens will require visas to cross but will be unable to obtain them at the border.


Well, that means most of us can't use that border.
Too bad...

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Japan touring information

Thanks Chris, good info ... sadly it was pretty predictable.

Capo, there is no thawing of relations between Russia and Georgia, and realistically there wont be while Saakashvili remains in power.

The opening of the border is a recognition by both parties that the the closing of the border has hit Armenia very hard. Armenia has good relations with both Georgia and Russia and had been pushing both of them to open the border to Armenian citizens and trade traffic. Russia is Armenia's biggest trading partner and so needs trade routes. Armenia and Azerbaijan hate each other and that border is usually closed ... Armenia's border with Turkey is also closed. Ergo, Armenia needs to access the world via Georgia. The world for Armenia starts and ends with Russia. Armenia needs access to Russia and it needs to go thru Georgia.

Its because the only real reason the border was reopened was to help Armenia, that it was predictable that it would be a CIS citizens only border. You will note it isnt really even a border for the Russians or the Georgians, who will require visas to use the border ... Its really a border for the Armenians, who will not require any visas to use the border. If it wasn't for this Armenian question, I can assure you the Russian administration would have zero interest in any open border with Georgia.

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Hi There,

We rode a large section of the road from Sochi back towards the Ukraine after crossing the black sea from Turkey (Trabzon). Overall the traffic was shocking in late July and the surface was not to bad. However in the 400km (approx) that we did on that section of road we saw no fewer than 5 fatal accidents and numerous other head on accidents/minor accidents.. It seemed to us that when Russians go on holidays road rules apply even less than usual... quiet scary at times on a motorcycle..

On a plus side the scenery is really nice in the mountains, there are some great things to see and do in the area and it was well worth it.

We didn't cross over into georgia or ukraine so I can't give you any more information on that front )

the Lars is open
the status is marked as "multi-national"
for those who read russian
that's the list of all russian border crossings Просмотр документа | Росграница

Well I for one have a cool pint waiting for any non-CIS-passport-holding HUBBer who tests this out conclusively for the rest of us!

This would surely be an incredible revelation for overland travel in Europe and Asia if it's true. I for one would go to any effort possible to avoid going through bloody Azerbaijan, and taking that damned Caspian ferry again.


Though I myself will probably not get the chance to try the potential new route for some years

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350

Hey Belka ... I strongly suspect that "multinational" also includes "CIS only" ... since CIS is more than 2 countries Multi does not mean "any", it means more than 2. I notice this document does not have a category for "CIS only" so I suspect the pogranichniki just classify CIS-only borders as "multi-national".

I will be very happy to be wrong ... and will buy the second pint for the first non CIS traveller through there.

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It's issued as Road and multinational, as all other international border crossing points but you never know ???

Lars
North-Ossetia - Alania

So we can be sure when somebody has cross it ????
Will be there on August and can check but it's probably to late for this summer travelers.

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...You know it's a bit windy when you get passed by your own dust...

Hallo,
two years ago me and two friends of mine made a full tour around the Black Sea from Bulgaria anticlockwise. We reached the port of Poti in Georgia. It was impossible to continue north because of the war. We went back to Trabzon and took a ferry to Sochi. From Sochi we drove south in Abhazia. We have visas for Abhazia as EU citizens, which you can get in Suhumi. In order to get a visa you have to send an email to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abhasia and get an invitation. The visa costs 30 USD. You enter Abhasia with the invitation and you go out with the visa. In this sense it is a permission to exit the country. The whole journey took 26 days and everything went well.
Unfortunately I think roads between Georgia and Russia will stay closed for a long time, including Verhni Lars which was a military road and was open for refugees

hey Walter
Cis-borders are marked as "dual-national"
i don't get the logic but still
to know for sure you'd better write them Контакты | Росграница
there'll be an official answer

it will be nice if it is open, because I have heard its a really spectacularly beautiful road. Very steep mountains, very windy road.

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I have a good idea (that I can't follow up on).
Why doesn't someone who speaks decent Russian or Georgian telephone the border post or ministry in charge of border control and ask the people there if they will let non-CIS people through?:confused1: That would at least solve the "argument"
I would do it myself... But I don't speak either of those languages.

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Japan touring information

heh heh, you don't live in Russia do you? It would be quite difficult to find and get through to anyone in Moscow that has, or will give you, an answer, and then even when you got an answer you really couldn't be 100% sure...I could probably do it if I had a couple of days to sit on the phone, but I don't.

The border post might be easier if someone could find the phone number...

I think that should be 2 phone numbers (and 2 languages!).

Just because one country does or does not have an entry/exit point open for certain classes of passport holders to enter/exit, does not guarantee the adjoining country has the same policy or even knows of its neighbour's policy.

Here we have 2 governments not currently disposed to exhibiting much mutual co-operation. (The people are different!)

It only needs one side to impose a restriction to produce the absolute result of no-one at all of that class crossing.

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Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

Good point Tony...I think we need a volunteer to go down there and check it out!

thats a job for a 'true believer' .... i couldnt talk myself into testing it out cause I am too sceptical to start with.

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